Vaudoise Mint and Zucchini Tart
I don't know a lot about this delicious tart from canton Vaud. I discovered the recipe in one of my favourite Swiss cookbooks Kochkunst und Traditionen in der Schweiz from Mondo Verlag, which I bought at Bern's Bücherbergwerk (an excellent source for all used books, especially old cookbooks).
A few Google searches didn't give me any additional information on the tart, as the only recipes I found seemed to be copied from the same cookbook. I also didn't see any evidence of a booming mint or zucchini trade in Vaud, with the exception of this octogenarian's 1.2 metre (4 foot), 3 kg (almost 7 pound) courgette in Valeyres-sous-Montagny.
That's one big gourd.
To make this tart, it helps to have one of Switzerland's more underrated contributions to the culinary world—a Rex vegetable peeler.
The Rex vegetable peeler
There are only ten employees in the Zürich factory that makes the Rex, a handy vegetable peeler with an arguably more comfortable grip that the traditional kind. It's design is protected and since its invention in 1947, it has sold more than 60 million pieces.
And all for around two francs.
Back to the tart.
The mint adds an interesting twist but, as the recipe states, it should not overpower. Rolling the super thin slices of zucchini is a bit fiddly and time-consuming, but it means you don't have to pre-cook them and it looks quite appealing.
Although, it doesn't seem to be Christmas oriented, I think its flavour and design is festive, and it would add a welcome burst of green at any holiday buffet.
one recipe Wähe Dough, or enough dough to cover you pan
about 3-4 zucchini
about 10 mint leaves, finely chopped
100 ml milk
200 ml cream
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 200° C / 400° F / gas mark 6.
Roll out your dough and line a 23 cm (9 inch) square tart pan (you may have a little left over). Poke the bottom of the dough all over with a fork then place your tart pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet
Using a vegetable peeler, slice very thin ribbons of zucchini. Roll them up and stand them in the tart pan.
Whisk together the mint, milk, cream, and eggs. Pour over the zucchini rolls.
Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the top has browned lightly and the filling is set.
To save time, you can use use store-bought dough like Kuchenteig/Pâte Brisée/Pasta per Crostate to line your pan. A round pan would work well too.
When rolling your zucchini ribbons, you can first fold them loosely in half and then roll them up.
The zucchini doesn't have to be perfectly formed or all the same size, some can be taller/shorter or looser/tighter than others.
